Apr 23, 2018 BOSTON -- The Milwaukee Bucks continue to battle history and the Celtics as they visit TD Garden for Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series with Boston on Tuesday night.Despite winning both games in Milwaukee, the Bucks, looking for their first series victory since 2000, have never won a series after trailing 0-2, going 0-17 in such situations.The Celtics, on the other hand, have never lost a series they led 2-0, winning all 35 times going into their current situations.In league history, teams are 19-274 when trailing series 0-2, including the Portland Trail Blazers going out in four straight against the New Orleans Pelicans in the current first round.But the Bucks, after a lineup change caused by the back injury to John Henson, guaranteed there will be another game at Bradley Center before the move to their new building next season.They win Game 4 when Giannis Antetokounmpo tipped home the winning basket with 5.1 seconds left -- after the Bucks squandered a 20-point lead with what amounted to their season on the line."At the end of the day in the playoffs, we know we have the best player on the floor," Malcolm Brogdon, whose running hook shot was followed by Antetokounmpo, said after the win. "So we rely on him and he comes through." Antetokounmpo said, "It means a lot," gutting out a critical victory that evened the series at two wins apiece. "I just want to say good job to everybody because everybody played hard. Whoever stepped on the floor played hard, played together. The most important thing is we trust one another." But now, what comes down to a best-of-three series shifts to Boston, where the Celtics have gone 29-14, including playoffs, at home, this season. The Bucks are 19-24 on the road, but they opened the season with a win at TD Garden.Antetokounmpo left a Milwaukee restaurant after a delay in seating after Game 4 but can now turn his attention to the Celtics, who are without Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Daniel Theis. Marcus Smart, who has been out, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday's game.Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 34 points, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, in Boston's Game 4 loss."He's the only reason we were in the game in the first," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "And then in the second, he just continued and did a great job. Played with tremendous spirit, played with tremendous toughness and made shots. Kept us in it." "Jaylen was great," teammate Al Horford said. "His energy on defense really translated to the offensive end. Hit some very tough shots and had a lot of timely plays. That's encouraging to see." The Celtics called an isolation play for Marcus Morris after the final timeout but the shot didn't go."It's a shot that Mook makes 10 out of 10 times," Brown said. "It just didn't go in tonight. So, Game 5." Horford said, "We're battling. We're playing hard, but it's not good enough just to play hard. This is why the playoffs are so challenging. But I think it's good for our group. I think we're learning. We're looking forward to being able to go back home." Horford had 24 points and 12 rebounds in Boston's 113-107 overtime win in Game 1, and Brown scored 30 in a 120-106 victory in Game 2.Antetokounmpo had 35 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in Game 1 and 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in Game 2. He is averaging 27.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists through four games.Brown leads the Celtics in scoring at 23.8 points per game.

Apr 24, 2018 BOSTON Al Horford had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Marcus Smart made an impact in his first game since mid-March and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 92-87 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.Smart came off the bench and had nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks in his first game since undergoing right thumb surgery. He played 25 minutes wearing a protective splint and had a key assist late from the bottom of a scrum beneath three Milwaukee players.Terry Rozier added 16 points and five assists for Boston. The home team has won all five games in the first-round series, and Game 6 is Thursday in Milwaukee.Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 23 points, Jabari Parker added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a series-low 16 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists.The Celtics led by 16 before Milwaukee rallied to make it 74-70 with 7:33 left. Middleton scored later and was fouled to get Milwaukee within 84-79, but he failed to complete the three-point play.A few possessions later, Smart managed to squeeze out a pass to Horford with three Bucks draped over him, and Horford easily dropped in a layup to make it 86-79 with 28.1 seconds left.Milwaukee got within 87-84 after a layup by Eric Bledsoe, but the Celtics hit enough free throws the rest of the way to secure the win.The Bucks entered the game shooting an NBA playoff-best 54 percent from the field, but they hit just 37 percent for the game (32 of 87).Boston needed an energy boost after slow starts to Games 3 and 4, and Smart gave the Celtics exactly that.He checked in for the first time late in the first quarter. Less than a minute later, he deflected a pass and won a scramble on the floor for the loose ball.A few possessions later, he was helping protect the rim, getting his hand in to deny an alley-oop dunk attempt by Antetokounmpo.He was also active on the offensive end, helping drive the ball into the interior of Milwaukee's defense, like when he tossed an alley-oop to Horford late in the third quarter .TIP-INSBucks: F John Henson missed his third straight game with back soreness. ... Scored 15 points in first quarter. It was low for a quarter in the series, excluding the Game 1 overtime period (eight points).Celtics: Finished with 18 turnovers. ... Outscored the Bucks 32-28 in the paint.DROUGHT AND A RUNThe Celtics went without a field goal from Rozier's 3-pointer with 9:14 left in the third until Jaylen Brown hit from beyond the arc with 4:26 to go in the period.Boston's only points during the shooting slump came on a pair of free throws by Tatum with 6:36 left.It allowed Milwaukee to go on a 12-2 run, trimming Boston's lead to 58-52.STILL BEEFINGRozier and Eric Bledsoe got tangled up with 9:33 left in the third quarter. Rozier bumped Bledsoe near the baseline. Bledsoe responded with a hard shove. They then got face-to-face and had to be separated.Bledsoe was assessed a flagrant foul and Rozier was issued a technical foul.It was the continuation of some off-court chiding between the pair.Rozier called Bledsoe ''Drew Bledsoe'' when asked about him after Game 1. Bledsoe has since responded by saying ''Who?'' whenever he's asked about Rozier.---More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Apr 23, 2018 Even as the Philadelphia 76ers exceeded expectations this season, those who have indeed trusted the process still could not have imagined the team's quick ascension to the NBA's elite.Joel Embiid, for one, isn't about to pump the brakes on what has been a whirlwind ride that has the 76ers heading into their Game 5 home matchup on Tuesday sporting a 3-1 lead over the visiting Miami Heat."A lot of people say we have a bright future," said Embiid, whose 76ers host the Heat at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center. "But I think our time is now. We have a special team and I feel like now we have a pretty good chance to go forward." Speaking of the now: With their backs against the wall, the Heat are not flailing their arms wildly, looking for any target.They are pointedly focused on the present: Game 5 and the 76ers."It's not necessarily us against the world," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It's us against the Philadelphia 76ers. We have to find a way to finish games. They've really nailed us in the fourth quarters of all four games, except the one we were able to pull away. We just have to do better. Through three quarters, we've been up. It's going to require a full 48-minute game of our absolute best effort." Miami has been outscored by Philadelphia by an astounding 42 points in just the fourth quarters through four games. Even in the Heat's 113-103 Game 2 win at Philadelphia, the 76ers still outscored Miami 28-27 in the fourth quarter.In a roundabout way, that Game 2 loss -- which snapped Philadelphia's 17-game winning streak -- actually gave 76ers coach Brett Brown some much-needed locker room material heading into the game."Everybody's trying to break somebody's spirit," Brown said Monday. "It's always the same thing. It happens on the other side of it. And I know (Spoelstra), who is a great coach, would be in his locker room saying, 'All we got to do is win a game and come home.'"They're going to live in a really isolated, sort of roomed-in world of, 'Let's just win a game. We won a game last time we were here, and just come home and figure it out.' You can see it." Knowing his team can close out a hungry opponent on Tuesday, Brown isn't changing his message too much."My intention is not to speak anything into existence," Brown said. "It's all about trying help the team win. Like, we want to get better. We're gonna. We're going to go into Tuesday night and we're going to get better. I believe that if we think like that, act like that, coach like that, then the habit becomes, I hope, we're going to win." J. J. Redick, no stranger to heated playoff series, echoed his coach's thoughts on Monday.In Game 4, Redick led the 76ers with 24 points en route to a 106-102 win in a game that Philadelphia trailed by four after three quarters."You're feeling each other out and then later on in the series you have to deliver a crushing blow," Redick said. "You have to finish that. A team like Miami, their culture, their organization, their group of guys, they have fighters. They have warriors on their team. Every game in this series has been tough and there's no indication that Game 5 will be different. It's going to be a tough game."

Apr 24, 2018 PHILADELPHIA Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons shined again in front of rapper Meek Mill, and the dominant duo ushered the nightmares-into-dreams Process of the Philadelphia 76ers into the second round with a 104-91 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.The 76ers, winners of 10 games just two seasons ago, are in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2012.They await the winner of Milwaukee-Boston. The Celtics lead the series 3-2.The Sixers won the series 4-1 and turned the Wells Fargo Center into the wildest house party in the city. Embiid had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Simmons had 14 points and 10 boards, and the entire team had rappers, politicians, actors and kids dancing along for the ride.Mill made a dramatic return hours after Pennsylvania's highest court ordered him freed while he appeals decade-old gun and drug convictions.He was taken from prison by helicopter to Philadelphia, where he rang the ceremonial bell at the start of Game 5.''Welcome home Meek Mill,'' was about all that was heard from the public address announcer as wild cheers drowned out the rest. Mill sat courtside next to actor and noted Sixers fan Kevin Hart and Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin.Hart grabbed the mic after the game and yelled, ''Let's give it up for Joel Embiid!''Before the game, Mill visited privately with the Sixers in their locker room.Hart talked trash, wandered onto the edge of the court to rile up fans and palled around with Mill as the young and gettin' it Sixers proved they just might be the team to beat in the East.They'll have plenty of time to rest and recover - Embiid again played in a black mask to guard a face injury - with the other Eastern Conference playoff series expected to stretch into the weekend.The 76ers were buzzing once Mill's release made headline news in the city. Rubin had organized prison trips with Embiid, Simmons and Markelle Fultz, and the rapper's songs played in the locker room and during warmups.Simmons called Mill's presence ''amazing.'' ''Just having someone that looks out for us, all of us here, it would just mean a lot for him to be back in Philly, in the city of Philadelphia with the fans, especially with a game like that tonight,'' Simmons said.Mill breezed into the locker room about 45 minutes before tip and hugged some of the Sixers. Mill was met with a crush of media and celebrity fans as he tried to take his courtside seat. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and retired boxing great Bernard Hopkins sat near Hart and Mill, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf joined them in the second half. The national champion Villanova Wildcats posed for pictures with Mill in the locker room.What they saw was just the latest beatdown from a franchise whose maligned rebuild has morphed into the one of the trendiest terms in sports.The Sixers outscored the Heat by 14 in the third quarter to snap a tie game and had fans belting ''Trust the Process!''Goran Dragic was whistled for a technical after slapping Simmons on the backside of his head, and that got the crowd howling early in the third. Simmons kept his cool - the rookie is rarely rattled - and made the Heat pay. JJ Redick sank the free throw off the technical, and Simmons kicked the ball out to Robert Covington on the possession for a 3 and a 54-48 lead. Redick followed with his third 3, and Philly was litty again.Redick, who scored 27, sank the dagger late in the fourth that sent confetti flying, team flags waving and put a late-night celebration on deck.TIP-INSHeat: Josh Richardson played with a sprained left shoulder. He picked up three fouls in his first 2 minutes. ... James Johnson was hit with personal and technical fouls late in the fourth that ended a 10-0 Miami run. ... Dwyane Wade is considering retirement. ... Justise Winslow led the Heat with 18 points.76ers: Redick was whistled for a technical foul in the first half. ... Missed 10 of 12 3s in the first half.---For more NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Apr 23, 2018 OAKLAND, Calif. -- The San Antonio Spurs hope to take a second step on what would be an unprecedented journey in the NBA playoffs when they once again face elimination in Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.No team has ever won a series in which it trailed 3-0, but the Spurs were able to stay alive at home with a 103-90 win in Game 4 on Sunday.It was the first time in the Gregg Popovich era that the Spurs have as much as won one game after losing the first three of a series. They were swept in a similar situation last season by the Warriors in the Western Conference finals.For the third game in a row, the Spurs will be coached Tuesday by assistant Ettore Messina, with Popovich having left the team after the death of his wife Erin last week.The teams had different views as to what triggered the dramatic turnaround in Game 4. The Spurs had fallen behind at least 19 points in each of the first three games of the series but never trailed Sunday.The Spurs cited improved shooting as one big difference. After connecting on a combined 20 of 83 (24 percent) on 3-pointers in the first three games of the series, San Antonio bombed in 15 of 28 (54 percent) in Game 4.The result: A team that had been outscored 105-60 from beyond the arc for three games was able to turn the tables to the tune of 45-21 in the elimination game.It was a team effort. LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Dejounte Murray and Manu Ginobili, who had combined to make just three 3-pointers in the first three games, dropped in a total of 10 when it mattered most."It was a do-or-die game," explained Aldridge, a predicament in which the Spurs also will find themselves in Game 5. "Make it happen or go home, and I think every guy played with that mentality, that focus, and we ended up getting it done." Meanwhile, the Warriors weren't even getting shots time and again early in the loss. They committed seven turnovers in the game's first 5 1/2 minutes, fell behind by as many as 10 points in the first quarter and never caught up.Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn't like seeing it live and enjoyed it even less when he got back to Oakland and watched it on tape."Lack of focus to start the game was really the key," he noted. "More than energy, it was a sense of purpose. And I take a lot of the blame for that. I should know better as a coach of a team that's been up 3-0 plenty times -- you gotta know you're going into the lion's den ..."Looking back at the tape, I should have taken a timeout three minutes into the game and broken a clipboard. More than that, I should have had them prepared pregame for what was coming, and I didn't feel like I did a good job at that." The Warriors had similar early-game issues at home during the regular season. It helped produce a record as good on the road (29-12) as at home (29-12).Even with Sunday's loss, the Warriors have beaten the Spurs in 11 of their last 13 meetings, including both regular-season and playoff games.If the Warriors win Game 5, they would advance to face the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference semifinals.

Apr 25, 2018 OAKLAND, Calif. Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Draymond Green led a smothering Golden State defense and the Warriors held off the late-charging San Antonio Spurs 99-91 Tuesday night to win Game 5 and advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.Klay Thompson had another stellar shooting performance with 24 points, and Green contributed all over with 17 points, a career-playoff high 19 rebounds and seven assists. Golden State looked dominant until the fourth quarter even without injured two-time MVP Stephen Curry - and he could be back soon from a left knee injury.LaMarcus Aldridge converted a three-point play with 1:31 left that pulled the Spurs within 93-89, and then a pair of free throws at 57.2 to make it a two-point game. Green responded with a long jumper at the top of the key then two free throws with 9.1 seconds remaining.The Warriors will face New Orleans in the West semifinals beginning this weekend at Oracle Arena, having smoothly eliminated the Spurs aside from a brief Game 4 blip Sunday at San Antonio. New Orleans, coached by former Golden State top assistant Alvin Gentry, swept Portland in the first round.

Abreu looks for another big game as White Sox host Mariners 10h agoĽ 2 min read After only 19 games, Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu already is in midseason form.Abreu will look to increase his hitting streak to eight games Tuesday evening when Chicago (5-14) hosts the Seattle Mariners (11-10) in the second game of a three-game set. The White Sox cruised to a 10-4 win in Monday's series opener behind 18 hits, including four by Abreu, who ripped two singles and two home runs.Abreu is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with three home runs and six RBIs during his seven-game streak. The 31-year-old leads the team with six home runs and is tied with Matt Davidson for the team lead with 12 RBIs.The Cuban slugger's hot start has not proved contagious for the White Sox as a whole. Chicago's victory Monday snapped a seven-game losing streak and marked only the team's second win at home in 10 games.Seattle has enjoyed a better start, although some poor play recently has exposed cause for concern. The Mariners have allowed 24 runs in their past three contests. They have lost two straight games and five of their past seven.Now, it will be up to Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales (1-2, 5.94 ERA) to try to take some pressure off his team's bullpen. The 26-year-old is making his fifth start of the season and the 19th start of his career.Gonzales has allowed 23 hits in 16 2/3 innings this season, but his command of the strike zone has been superior with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 19 to 3. He recorded a season-high eight strikeouts his last time out against the Houston Astros. Tuesday's outing will mark his first career appearance against Chicago.The White Sox will counter with right-hander Chris Volstad (0-0, 4.70 ERA), who will make his first start of the season after four appearances out of the bullpen. The 31-year-old journeyman has started 125 games with the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs and White Sox since he debuted at age 21 in 2008.In his only career appearance against Seattle on June 25, 2011, Volstad collected a victory and a quality start as he held hitters to two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked none and struck out two.Volstad will not have to worry about facing Mariners first baseman Ryon Healy, who has been sidelined more than two weeks because of an ankle injury. Healy has started a minor league rehabilitation assignment to get ready for his return."I think Ryon wants to get back and get it going," Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters on Monday, according to the team's official website. "His season got off to a slow start and he wants to turn it around, so when he's ready and I get the word he's ready, he'll be back." Meanwhile, the White Sox will continue to hope for more progress from right-hander Danny Farquhar, who suffered a brain hemorrhage in the dugout Friday night. The team announced Monday that Farquhar was "progressing well" but remained in critical but stable condition at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.The White Sox and Mariners each displayed Farquhar's jersey in the series opener to support the popular relief pitcher, who has pitched for both teams during his career."Baseball in general is a family," White Sox right-hander James Shields said to the Chicago Sun-Times. "We have a brotherhood here. We're just really supporting him and his family right now."

Gonzales, Mariners edge sagging White Sox 1-07m agoĽ 2 min read CHICAGO Marco Gonzales and four relievers combined on a five-hitter, Mitch Haniger singled home the only run and the Seattle Mariners edged the Chicago White Sox 1-0 Tuesday.At 5-15, the rebuilding White Sox are off to their worst start since the 1950 season. That year they opened 5-20 en route to a 60-94 finish.Gonzales (2-2) was in control almost from the start, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out eight in six-plus innings. The left-hander snapped a run of three starts in which he lasted no more than 4 2/3 innings.Seattle broke out on top against fill-in starter Chris Volstad (0-1) in the fourth when Kyle Seager doubled and scored on Haniger's base hit, both with two outs.After Yoan Moncada's leadoff double chased Gonzales in the seventh, reliever Dan Altavilla retired the next two batters before Marc Rzepczynski got the final out of the inning.Juan Nicasio pitched the eighth then Edwin Diaz worked the ninth for his ninth save in as many tries.Volstad (0-1) was effective for 4 1/3 innings. The veteran allowed one run and four hits and didn't walk a batter as a replacement for Miguel Gonzalez, who is on the 10-day disabled list with an inflamed right rotator cuff.The start was the first for Volstad after four relief appearances this year and third in the majors since the 2012 season.White Sox manager Rick Renteria was ejected by plate umpire Mike Estabrook after he protested a called third strike to Matt Davidson that ended a two-on, two-out threat in the sixth.TIME WILL TELLThe game had a rare 4:10 p.m. start time as part of a team marketing experiment. An estimated 2,000 fans witnessed the first pitch in sunny, 59-degree weather. The announced attendance was 10,761.IN DANNY'S CORNERFormer Mariners teammates and their wives remained in contact with the family of White Sox RHP Danny Farquhar, who underwent surgery for a brain aneurysm last weekend. He spent the 2013-15 seasons with the team.''You just want to give his family enough space, but you also want to do all you can to be there for support,'' said C Mike Zunino, Farquhar's ex-batterymate. ''When you first hear something like this happens, it's really scary because you have don't know what's going to happen. It seems like each day we hear something positive, so that's a really good feeling.'' TRAINER'S ROOMMariners: 1B Ryon Healy (sprained right ankle) neared his return from the disabled list with a two-run single and walk in four plate appearances for Double-A Arkansas Tuesday.White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (left shoulder surgery) pitched three innings Monday against the Reds in an extended spring game in Arizona. He could rejoin the parent club in late May.UP NEXTMariners: RHP Felix Fernandez (2-2, 5.06 ERA) will take a career 6-6 mark vs. the White Sox into the series finale Wednesday. He was a 4-3 winner in his only appearance against them last year.White Sox: RHP James Shields (1-2, 6.17) comes off his worst start of the season, a 10-0 blowout against the Houston Astros in which he allowed seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Cubs head to Cleveland for 2-game set 3h agoĽ 2 min read CLEVELAND -- The last time the Chicago and Cleveland played at Progressive Field, it was memorable and heartbreaking for the Indians, and memorable and electrifying for the Cubs.The date was Nov. 2, 2016, Game 7 of the World Series, which the Cubs won 8-7 in 10 innings. It's considered one of the greatest Game 7s ever played.Tuesday night, the Cubs return to Cleveland for the first game of a brief two-game interleague series. Tuesday's game will undoubtedly rekindle some emotions for both teams of that memorable Game 7."It'll be fun," Cubs manager Joe Maddon told MLB.com. "It'll be fun to walk those steps. The locker room, the weight room. ... It was pretty spectacular, and I think retrospectively, when it's all laid out there years from now, it's going to be looked at as one of the more interesting World Series, or seventh games, ever played." The Indians and Cubs met in the first spring training game in 2017, but Tuesday's game will be the first game between the two teams that counts, since that Game 7 in 2016."(The spring training game) was the first time we saw them, and that kind of brought back all the emotions and all those memories," said Indians outfielder Brandon Guyer. "(Tuesday) is the first time seeing them at our place, so it could bring back memories of Game 7 and everything that went down." The Cubs come into Tuesday's game 10-9 overall but having won four of their last six games. After a slow start in which they lost five of their first eight games, the Indians, behind their outstanding starting pitching, have started to put it together. Since April 8, the Indians are 9-3, having won their last three in a row, despite ranking 14th in the American League in batting average, on-base percentage and on-base-plus-slugging percentage.The Indians are second in the majors with a team ERA of 2.57."I think our starters take a lot of pride in being a part of our team that is so important and so vital," said manager Terry Francona.Four of Cleveland's five starters have ERAs below 2.70: Mike Clevinger (1.75), Corey Kluber (1.96), Carlos Carrasco (2.31) and Trevor Bauer (2.67).The one starter whose ERA is way above the ERAs of the rest of the rotation is the starter who will start Tuesday's game: Josh Tomlin (0-2, 8.00).Tomlin's last appearance was actually in relief. He pitched the 16th inning and was the losing pitcher in the Indians' 2-1 loss to Minnesota in Puerto Rico on April 18.Tomlin's last start came on April 10, a 2-1 Indians win over Detroit in which Tomlin did not get a decision. In that game, he pitched five scoreless innings on four hits, with three strikeouts and two walks.Tuesday will be Tomlin's first regular-season appearance against the Cubs. He did start two games against them in the 2016 World Series and was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA. In 20 career starts in interleague play, Tomlin is 11-5 with a 4.39 ERA.The Cubs' starter Tuesday night will be Tyler Chatwood (0-3, 4.60). Chatwood's last start was a 5-3 loss to St. Louis on April 17 in which he pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on one hit, with seven strikeouts and seven walks.In three career appearances against Cleveland, Chatwood is 0-1 with 3.21 ERA.Last year with Colorado he made one relief appearance against the Indians and pitched one hitless and scoreless inning.In 12 career appearances in interleague games, Chatwood is 4-4 with a 3.77 ERA.

Schwarber hits 2 HRs as Cubs beat Indians in Series rematch4m agoĽ 2 min read CLEVELAND Kyle Schwarber hit two of Chicago's four solo home runs and the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 10-3 on Tuesday night in the first meeting between the teams since their classic 2016 World Series.The Cubs won Game 7 of that Series in Cleveland for their first championship since 1908, a game that was delayed by rain in the 10th inning shortly before Chicago took the lead. This matchup was played in a steady rain that began before the first pitch.The Cubs won three games in Cleveland's ballpark during the 2016 Series and continued the trend against Josh Tomlin (0-3), who allowed all four homers. Schwarber connected leading off the second and fourth. Willson Contreras went deep in the third and Ian Happ homered in the fourth.Tyler Chatwood (1-3) won for the first time with the Cubs, allowing one run in six-plus innings. He was pulled after a leadoff single in the seventh.Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was out of the lineup two days after being hit in the head by a pitch. Chicago manager Joe Maddon said before the game that the 2016 NL MVP has a cut above his left eye but no concussion after being drilled Sunday by Colorado's German Marquez.Schwarber is batting .500 (15 for 30) with three homers and eight RBIs in seven career games at Progressive Field, including the postseason.Happ was 3 for 4 with two RBIs, and Contreras hit his first home run of the season. The Cubs scored three in the seventh off Zach McAllister and two in the ninth against Matt Belisle.Tomlin has allowed eight home runs in 12 2/3 innings over four appearances. The right-hander gave up five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.Jason Kipnis had an RBI groundout in the third, but right fielder Jason Heyward's throw home got Rajai Davis at the plate to end the inning. Davis tried to score from second on Jose Ramirez's single, but was out on a headfirst slide. Cleveland challenged but the call was upheld.Heyward also took a hit away from Kipnis with a sliding catch in the sixth.The teams complete the two-game series Wednesday night. The Cubs have won four of five and are two games over .500 (11-9) for the first time this season.The rain intensified throughout the game, leaving puddles in the infield and causing Cubs reliever Steve Cishek to slip on the mound several times. The inclement weather led to a crowd of 16,408.UP NEXTCubs LHP Jon Lester (2-0, 3.10 ERA) faces RHP Trevor Bauer (1-2, 2.67) in the series finale. Lester went 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in three appearances against Cleveland during the 2016 World Series.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Yankees' Andujar has come far, and may keep going vs. Twins 3h agoĽ 3 min read NEW YORK -- While Brandon Drury is inching closer to returning, rookie Miguel Andujar is giving first-year manager Aaron Boone something to think about when making up lineup cards and deciding who plays third base for the New York Yankees.Andujar began the season 3-for-28, but he is hitting .316 after homering and getting at least two hits for the sixth time in seven games in a series-opening 14-1 rout of the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. In those games, he is batting .517 (15-for-29) with three homers, eight runs scored, eight RBIs and 10 extra-base hits.Andujar looks to continue his run of productive at-bats for the Yankees on Tuesday in the second game of a four-game series against the Twins at Yankee Stadium."He's a really gifted hitter," Boone said of Andujar, who hit his third homer and doubled Monday. "He's gotten comfortable and now we're seeing what a gifted hitter can do." Andujar is among four players in the last 20 years to get an extra-base hit in seven straight games. The others are Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Freddie Freeman and Albert Pujols."The guy can hit, hit for power, hit to all fields, and it's fun to watch," Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said.Drury was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in spring training to give the Yankees a little more experience than Andujar. He went 5-for-23 before being sidelined with migraine headaches and blurred vision on April 7.Drury is slated to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Until then, they'll continue to be intrigued by Andujar, who hit a home run clocked at 110 mph off the bat on Monday."Obviously, guys are making progress from the injury front," Boone said before Andujar's latest productive game. "The more talented guys that we can have in the mix, I look forward to those options. Because a couple of weeks ago, we were struggling just to get a team out there on a couple of those nights." Andujar was hardly the only productive Yankees player on a night when they set a season high for runs. Giancarlo Stanton's batting average went from .185 to .224 after he homered and went 4-for-4 with a walk.The Twins (8-9) are on a four-game losing streak and below .500 for the second time this season. During the skid, they are getting outscored 40-15 while pitching to a 10.43 ERA.Minnesota's bullpen particularly has struggled. During the last four games, it has allowed 23 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings for a 15.53 ERA.The lone positive from the series opener was Brian Dozier running his hitting streak to 17 games with an RBI single. Going back to Sept. 22, he is hitting .373 (38-for-102) during a 24-game hitting streak.After Masahiro Tanaka pitched 6 2/3 effective innings, the Yankees hope to get the same from CC Sabathia in his second start since coming off the disabled list with a hip injury. Sabathia returned Thursday and allowed two unearned runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings during a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.Sabathia is 19-9 with a 3.16 ERA in 38 career starts against Minnesota. If he gets the win, the Twins would be the third team he has at least 20 career wins against (also Detroit and Kansas City)The left-hander is 12-2 with a 2.48 ERA in his last 17 starts against the Twins since the start of the 2007 season and 7-1 in 11 starts against them as a Yankees pitcher.Jose Berrios will attempt to get his 20th career victory in his first appearance against the Yankees since allowing three runs and five hits in three innings during a relief outing in Minnesota's 8-4 loss in the wild-card game.Berrios is 2-1 with a 1.63 ERA so far after winning 14 games last season. He last pitched in Puerto Rico on Wednesday when he allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings during a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians in 15 innings."He's gotten off to a very good start," Twins manager Paul Molitor said before Monday's game. "He's throwing better than I've ever seen him." Berrios enters with a scoreless streak of 14 innings and has issued one walk to his first 99 hitters faced.Including the wild-card game when he took the loss, Berrios is 1-2 with a 4.84 ERA in four appearances (two starts).

Gregorius, Sanchez, Yanks top Twins 8-3 for 4th straight win2m agoĽ 3 min read NEW YORK Didi Gregorius had another big game at Yankee Stadium with a two-run homer and three RBIs, and Gary Sanchez homered twice to help CC Sabathia and New York romp past the Minnesota Twins yet again, 8-3 on Tuesday night.Aaron Judge hit his seventh home run as the Yankees went deep four times for the second straight night. Gleyber Torres had a pair of hits and his first RBI for New York, which extended a winning streak to four for the first time under new manager Aaron Boone and sent the Twins to their season-worst fifth consecutive loss.A night after a 14-1 drubbing, New York beat Minnesota for the sixth straight time and improved to 27-9 against the Twins at new Yankee Stadium, including the playoffs. Judge was a triple short of the cycle and Gregorius also had three hits.Sabathia (1-0) rarely allowed hard contact in his second start back from the disabled list and gave up an unearned run and two hits in six innings. He is 20-9 in 39 regular-season starts against the Twins.Gregorius hit an RBI single for a 2-1 lead in the third and pulled a changeup just inside the right-field foul pole and into the second deck for a 5-1 margin in the fifth. All eight of his home runs and 23 of his 27 RBIs this year have come at home. Babe Ruth (1921) and Alex Rodriguez (2007) are the only other Yankees with that many homers and RBIs in the first 22 games.Jose Berrios (2-2) entered with 14 consecutive scoreless innings and had 29 strikeouts and one walk in his first four outings. He allowed five runs, six hits and two walks in four-plus innings, raising his ERA from 1.63 to 2.84.Dellin Betances entered with a 5-1 lead in the sixth but lasted just four batters, giving up a pair of walks, a hit and another unearned run. David Robertson pitched out of two-on, one-out trouble by striking out Ehire Adrianza and retiring pinch-hitter Joe Mauer on a comebacker.Judge led off the bottom half with a loud, opposite-field drive to right off Tyler Duffey, who was brought up from the minors before the game for his season debut. Judge became the fastest in major league history to hit 63 career home runs, doing it in 203 games, four fewer than Mark McGwire.Sanchez, whose second-inning home run tied the score, hit a two-run drive later in the seventh into the netting above Monument Park in center. Judge, arms crossed, gave Sanchez the silent treatment in the dugout before smiling and giving Sanchez a hug.Errors by Judge in right, Neil Walker at first, Torres while covering first and Betances raised the Yankees' total to 22 in 22 games, tied for the major league lead.Eduardo Escobar had three hits, a walk and an RBI for the Twins. Brian Dozier went 0 for 4 after getting hits in Minnesota's first 17 games - 24 in a row dating to last season.EMERGING EMOJIAs the Yankees add new players, Gregorius comes up with additional emojis for his tweets that follow wins. Torres is Baby bottle, Giancarlo Stanton is Volcano and Tyler Austin is Police car. Luis Severino has grown from Baby last season to Child.WHIFFSA night after going 4 for 4, Stanton had his second three-strikeout game this season to go along with a pair of five-strikeout games.HE'S BACKReleased during spring training and re-signed last week, 1B Adam Lind made his season debut for the Yankees' Class A farm team in Tampa and went 3 for 3 with a double, walk and RBI.TRAINER'S ROOMTwins: OF Byron Buxton (migraines) will go to extended spring training after fouling a ball off his left foot Sunday during a rehab assignment with Class A Fort Myers.Yankees: 3B Brandon Drury (migraines) is on track to start a rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.UP NEXTRHP Sonny Gray (1-1, 8.27 ERA), who has totaled just 16 1/3 innings in four starts, is on the mound for the Yankees on Wednesday night, when RHP Lance Lynn (0-1, 6.00) starts for Minnesota. Lynn's only previous outing against the Yankees was a five-hit shutout for St. Louis in 2014.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Braves could bolster roster before series ends with Reds 3h agoĽ 3 min read Brandon McCarthy starts Tuesday for Atlanta against the Cincinnati Reds and the journeyman right-hander is everything the Braves could have wanted and more.So is third baseman Ryan Flaherty, who has been one of the National League's leading hitters all season.That doesn't mean Braves manager Brian Snitker, whose team is off to a promising start despite a 10-4 loss Monday to the Reds, isn't looking forward to making some changes in the near future.Perhaps even before the Braves finish their four-game series at Great American Ball Park.The right-handed McCarthy (3-0), who is with his seventh major league team, will oppose right-hander Tyler Mahle (1-3) in the second game of the series Tuesday night.It won't be Tuesday, but six-time All-Star third baseman Jose Bautista, veteran catcher Tyler Flowers and top outfield prospect Ronald Acuna Jr. could join the Braves within a matter of days, injecting a couple of proven bats and some youth into the lineup of a team that's off to a 12-9 start in the competitive NL East.Bautista, signed only last week, is currently getting at-bats at Triple-A Gwinnett before heading to the Braves to become the starting third baseman.Flowers is spending the week at Gwinnett on a rehabilitation assignment as he heals from a strained left oblique.And the Braves believe No. 1 prospect Acuna can't be kept down on the farm much longer."It's encouraging -- and it's kind of exciting -- that we could potentially add three really good players," Snitker told reporters before Monday's game. "Any time you add depth or good players to your team, it's exciting. The guys we have here are exciting. We have guys who are getting opportunities and doing a lot with them." Flaherty, who is hitting .339, and McCarthy are two of those guys getting opportunities and making the most of them. Once Bautista arrives, Snitker must find ways to keep getting Flaherty's bat into the lineup.And the manager will keep on running out McCarthy, and not just because the Braves are 4-0 when he starts.McCarthy gave up one run and five hits while striking out six and walking two in 5 1/3 innings as the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 on Wednesday, lowering his ERA to 2.91. He is 1-2 in four career appearances against the Reds, but not many of their current batters have faced him.Devin Mesoraco is 3-for-5, Billy Hamilton is 2-for-6, Scooter Gennett is 1-for-3 and Joey Votto is 0-for-1."It's a good thing to have that depth," Snitker said. "It just takes so many players to get through a season. The depth is really important. It's something we haven't had for a while." The Reds won't mind having some of that depth -- even if they went deep Monday for the first time in nearly 10 days.Scott Schebler's two-run homer in the fifth inning off Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz was the Reds' first homer since April 15, and it helped them end a five-game losing streak.The Reds (4-18) had lost 13 of 14 and 15 of 17, and were off to the worst start in franchise history -- and one of the eight worse starts in the majors since 1900."That's exactly what I was looking for, to provide a spark for the offense," said Schebler, who was moved up to leadoff to ignite an offense that came into the game last in the majors in runs and home runs."The offense we have here is good, but we haven't gotten rolling yet. We haven't had that momentum. We just haven't had that yet ... but maybe we'll have some momentum moving forward." Mahle's ERA is 5.14, but he has pitched better than his record. He last pitched Wednesday, taking the loss in a 2-0 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers in which he gave up both runs and seven hits while walking four and striking out six."Going through the lineup three times in five innings, that's not very efficient," said Mahle, who will face the Braves for the first time. "We need to change that, for sure." Now if only the Reds could change their record.

Mahle loses no-hitter in 7th, Reds beat Braves 9-7 in 129m agoĽ 2 min read CINCINNATI Tyler Mahle lost his no-hit bid on Freddie Freeman's homer in the seventh, and the Cincinnati Reds blew a big late lead before Scooter Gennett connected in the 12th inning for a 9-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.Gennett hit his second homer of the game off left-hander Max Fried (0-1) for his first career game-ending shot.Freeman started the Braves' late seven-run surge with his homer off Mahle, only the third ball the Braves managed to get out of the infield against the rookie right-hander. Freeman connected again as Atlanta scored four times in the ninth.Jared Hughes (1-2) escaped a two-on threat in the 10th and got the last eight outs.Off to their worst start since the Great Depression, the 5-18 Reds rallied for their first set of back-to-back wins since last September - a span of 34 games - and got an encouraging performance from their most promising young starter.The 23-year-old Mahle fanned a career-high 11 with a tailing fastball that caught the Braves gawking. Atlanta leads the majors in runs, but managed only two balls beyond the infield through six innings.Freeman led off the seventh with a homer on the rookie's 90th pitch - Mahle turned his head and muttered a word in frustration as the ball left the bat. Kurt Suzuki had a two-run homer later in the inning.Mahle drew attention on his way to the majors by throwing a no-hitter in Single-A in 2016 and a perfect game last April 22 at Double-A.Freeman homered again in the ninth inning off Amir Garrett, starting a four-run rally. Ender Inciarte's bases-loaded, two-out single against Raisel Iglesias deflected off Gennett at second base for a 7-7 tie.Joey Votto and Gennett hit their first homers - back-to-back solo shots in the fifth off Brandon McCarthy - as the Reds' sluggish offense showed signs of coming around.TRAINER'S ROOMBraves: Manager Brian Snitker plans to give RH reliever Sam Freeman a couple days off. Freeman has made a team-high 14 appearances and struggled during a 10-4 loss on Monday. ''This is probably the most he's been used early in a season in his career,'' Snitker said. ''It's a new area for him to navigate through.'' Reds: C Devin Mesoraco was scratched with a stiff neck. ... 3B Eugenio Suarez began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville. He has been sidelined since April 8, when he was hit by Jameson Taillon's pitch and broke his right thumb.UP NEXTBraves: Matt Wisler (1-0, 1.29 ERA) is 1-1 career against the Reds in two starts and two relief appearances, allowing eight runs in 15 2/3 innings.Reds: LH Brandon Finnegan (0-2, 11.05) makes his third start. He opened the season on the DL with a strained left biceps. He's given up nine runs in 7 1/3 innings.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Phillies, D-backs a battle of surprise early powerhouses 4h agoĽ 2 min read The Philadelphia Phillies have the best home record in baseball. Their next test at Citizens Bank Park comes against the team with the best record in the National League.The Phillies host the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are 15-6 and have won all seven of their series so far in 2018, for a three-game set starting Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET.Philadelphia enters the series off a four-game home sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies have lost just once in 10 games this season at Citizens Bank Park and are 14-7 overall."I feel really good about our confidence levels right now," Phillies first-year manager Gabe Kapler told mlb.com after Sunday's win over the Pirates. "We're having a lot of fun. I think having fun in baseball is really important. It's a long season. Keeping it light -- we laugh in the dugout. I hope you guys are seeing that. A lot of smiles and a lot of laughter, and after the games, we're having a great time in there." The Phillies are off to a strong start despite not getting a ton of production from their bats. They enter the series opener with a .230 team batting average and .697 OPS -- numbers that ranked 22nd and 20th, respectively, in the majors as of Monday.Matchups for Phillies hitters won't get any easier as they are set to face Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray on Tuesday and four-time All-Star Zack Grienke on Wednesday.Ray (2-0, 4.98 ERA) has a 3.24 ERA over his last three starts after giving up six earned runs over five innings in his season debut against the Rockies. Ray has 32 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings this season, and his 13.3 K/9 rate was tied for the best mark in baseball as of Monday.Ray struck out nine in six innings and gave up two runs on five hits in three walks during his last outing against the Giants on April 18."His outing looked like it was more of a typical Robbie outing with nine punchouts," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told mlb.com after Ray's last outing. "... He was getting some outs with pitches in different areas at different times. I thought it was his best outing of the year." Tuesday will mark Ray's fifth career start against the Phillies. He's 2-1 with a 4.56 ERA and 1.648 WHIP in his previous four outings.Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (1-2, 3.80 ERA) will face Ray in the series opener. Like Ray, Velasquez has settled into a groove following a shaky opener. The 25-year-old has a 2.41 ERA in his last three starts after allowing seven runs (four earned) to the Braves in his debut.Velasquez went six innings in his last start, which also came against Atlanta. He surrendered his first home run of the season, a three-run shot by Ryan Flaherty, which accounted for the only runs against him in a loss.In three career appearances against Arizona (one start), Velasquez has not allowed an earned run and has 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.The Diamondbacks won six of their seven meetings with the Phillies last season, including a three-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park.

Avila leads Diamondbacks in 8-4 win over Phillies8m agoĽ 2 min read PHILADELPHIA Alex Avila homered among his three hits and drove in two runs, Robbie Ray struck out 11 while pitching into the fifth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-4 on Tuesday night.Daniel Descalso and Jarrod Dyson also homered for the Diamondbacks, who upped their NL-best record to 16-6.Ray was lifted after 107 pitches with two outs in the fifth and couldn't earn the victory. He gave up three runs and five hits and walked three while raising his strikeout total to 43 in 26 1/3 innings.Fernando Salas (3-1) pitched an inning of relief for the victory.The loss snapped Philadelphia's seven-game home winning streak, and was just the club's second loss in 11 games at Citizens Bank Park. A win would've given the Phillies their best home start in the franchise's 134-year history.Arizona has won eight consecutive games at Philadelphia.Avila started his big night by leading off the third with a towering homer to deep right-center off Vince Velasquez (1-3) that caromed off the base of the second deck. Avila began the at-bat in a 4-for-35 slump with 18 strikeouts.Dyson followed with a long drive to right to put Arizona ahead 2-0. He was batting .160 before going deep for the first time this season.The Phillies went ahead in the bottom of the inning. After Aaron Altherr's one-out, bases-loaded double to right scored two to tie the score, Maikel Franco's sacrifice fly to left gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead.The advantage was short-lived though as David Peralta hit a two-run double down the right-field line in the fifth after Velasquez loaded the bases with no outs by sandwiching a pair of walks around a single by Avila.Arizona then went ahead 5-3 in the sixth on Avila's one-out RBI single to right.The Phillies closed within a run in the bottom half on Cesar Hernandez's two-out single to left.But the Diamondbacks padded their lead in the eighth with three runs, highlighted by Descalso's two-run homer that made it 8-4.The game was played on a chilly, rainy night in front of a sparse crowd of 18,195. Much of Philadelphia sports fans' attention on Tuesday night centered across the street for Game 5 of the 76ers' first-round series clinching victory over the Miami Heat.Velasquez took a step back from a strong string of three straight good outings and couldn't get through the fifth inning, allowing four runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and two walks. It ended a span of 12 straight starts by Philadelphia starters with three earned runs or fewer.Velasquez entered having gone six or more innings in three straight starts after doing that just three times all of 2017.SLUMPINGPhiladelphia's Scott Kingery went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. He has two hits in his last 24 at-bats with 12 strikeouts.Phillies C Jorge Alfaro struck out three times while going 0 for 4 and is now 8 for 47 (.170) with 24 strikeouts.UP NEXTArizona RHP Zack Greinke (2-1, 4.13) faces Phillies RHP Jake Arrieta (2-0, 2.04) on Wednesday night in the second game of the three-game series.

Gomez leads Rays against O's, ex-teammate Cobb 1h agoĽ 2 min read BALTIMORE -- The Tampa Bay Rays come into Baltimore with a four-game winning streak after sweeping the Twins over the weekend and will try to extend that run versus the Orioles on Tuesday at Camden Yards.The Rays (8-13) will send Jake Faria (1-1, 5.82) to the mound against former Tampa Bay pitcher Alex Cobb (0-2, 15.43 ERA), who has not done well in his first two starts with Baltimore.Faria is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in four games against the Orioles. He's had just one bad start out of four and will be facing a Baltimore team struggling at the plate.Tampa Bay had the day off on Monday but is coming off a big win on Sunday when Carlos Gomez homered to beat the Twins 8-6 and stretch the team's winning streak to four."Gomez had an interesting series, but he finished it on a really good note," said Kevin Cash on MLB.com. "Good for him. Veteran player, young player. Any time you do something like that it's pretty special." Gomez came into the game mired in a 2-for-34 skid.But he ended the game feeling much better about things.The Rays scored 26 runs in their three-game sweep of the Twins, getting at least eight in every game. That will help them coming into Camden Yards, where balls often fly out of the ballpark pretty quickly when the weather warms up.C. J. Cron also has been on a roll lately. He homered three times in his last two games versus Minnesota.The Orioles, right now, are looking for anything to give them a lift. Cobb (0-2, 15.43) has given up 12 runs on 20 hits in just seven innings in his first two starts.Baltimore signed him during spring training so Cobb did not have much time to prepare for the season, and it has been showing so far.If the right-hander can get everything together, the Orioles could have a solid group of starters with Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Andrew Cashner all pitching well.Cobb, though, will be pitching against his old team for the first time, and that should give him some motivation."It will be a little odd seeing the jersey," Cobb said to the Tampa Bay Times. "Been part of the family for so long." The offense has been the problem for Cobb's new team so far, a big reason they've stumbled to a 6-17 start. Cleveland took three of four from the Orioles, who have lost nine of their last 10.Injuries also have hurt Baltimore. Jonathan Schoop (oblique) and Mark Trumbo (quad) are on the disabled list, and Trey Mancini has missed the last few games after injuring his knee in left field trying to make a sliding catch. He needed stitches but came on late in Monday's 2-1 loss to Cleveland.The Orioles may have more problems as infielder Tim Beckham came out due to a sore groin -- he's got a tender Achilles also."I'll know a lot more tomorrow and after tonight, but it's a concern," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said on MASNSports.com. "He's been kind of playing through a little bit of a sore Achilles, but I'm a little more concerned about the groin right now. Really, both of them."

Rainout delays Orioles RHP Cobb's reunion with Rays2h agoĽ 2 min read BALTIMORE The Tampa Bay Rays have to wait at least one more day before taking their swings against former teammate Alex Cobb.Cobb, now with the Baltimore Orioles, was scheduled to face his old team on Tuesday night before the game was postponed by rain.Thus, Cobb will start Wednesday in the delayed start of this series between the only two AL East teams with losing records.The rainout will be made up as part of single-admission doubleheader on May 12.It's the 27th major league game to be postponed this season, the most related to weather through April since the commissioner's office started keeping records in 1986.Cobb, 30, spent his entire career with the Rays before signing with Baltimore as a free agent on March 21. Over six years with Tampa Bay, the right-hander was 48-35 and one of the leaders of the staff.''He was a crucial part to this organization's success,'' Rays starter Chris Archer said. ''He's a big-game pitcher and somebody who's very consistent, very routine oriented. The competitive nature rubbed off on me and rubbed off on the other guys in this clubhouse as well.'' Cobb signed a $57 million, four-year deal with the Orioles, who will be counting on him to deliver the same kind of pitching and leadership in Baltimore.Thus far, it hasn't gone well. Cobb got off to a late start because he missed most of spring training, and since his return he's gone 0-2 with a 15.43 ERA.''Abbreviation has affected that,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ''He's going to get going here. Hopefully he can wait one more start before he does.'' Brad Miller was down to bat cleanup for the Rays on Tuesday night before the game was called. Miller knew better than to chat with his old friend beforehand.''Definitely wouldn't talk to him on his start days,'' Miller said. ''Thought about maybe texting him just to rattle him a little bit, but ... .'' Miller won't know what to think when he sees Cobb wearing the orange and black of the Orioles.''It's definitely going to be weird seeing him on the mound,'' Miller said. ''I miss Cobb a lot. He was the ultimate competitor.'' And that, Miller contends, is what sets Cobb apart from most pitchers.''He's a bulldog. Really intense, kind of an old-school throwback starting pitcher,'' Miller said. ''He's going to go out there and do anything he can for his team. So that, for me, is obviously his biggest trait.'' The rainout came at an opportune time for the Orioles, who are hampered by injuries and have lost nine of 10 games to fall 11 games under .500 (6-17).Baltimore's projected starting lineup did not include infielder Tim Beckham, who's been bothered by a groin injury and is expected to land on the 10-day disabled list.With Beckham out and Trey Mancini playing with a tender right knee, manager Buck Showalter would have been operating with a short bench.Help is on the way: Baltimore claimed utility infielder Jace Peterson on waivers from the New York Yankees. He's expected to arrive Wednesday.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Pirates aim to bounce back vs. Tigers 3h agoĽ 2 min read Three weeks after the Pittsburgh Pirates opened the season with a three-game sweep of the Tigers in the bitter cold in Detroit, the teams are set to meet for another three-game set beginning Tuesday at PNC Park.Both clubs, who had a day off Monday, have had some twists and turns in the three weeks since that earlier series.Pittsburgh used the three wins to launch into an 11-4 start that had the Pirates sitting atop the National League Central. Then came a 1-6 swoon, including getting swept in a four-game series at Philadelphia over the weekend.The Pirates (12-10) have fallen to third in the National League Central."We had a rough week. We need to take a day off and figure it out, and show up ready to play at home," said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle, whose team was held to five runs in the four-game sweep and has scored two runs or fewer in eight of its past 10 games."We haven't performed well -- I think it's the last 10 games -- for a while now. Two games we've performed well offensively; the other eight have been a challenge." Pittsburgh piled up 22 runs in the season-opening series against the Tigers, a series that had two postponements because of poor weather and a subsequent doubleheader.Detroit, meanwhile, continued to struggle after that opening series en route to a 4-9 start. Since then, though, the Tigers have gathered some steam.They just concluded a 5-3 homestand, its first winning record for a stretch of eight or more home games since last June into July."(We'd) like to be 8-0. Everybody would," Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said. "But our guys are playing." The Tigers (9-11), like Pittsburgh, are third in their division, the American League Central.In the series opener Tuesday, Detroit right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (1-0, 7.71 ERA) gets another shot at the Pirates after getting a no-decision on Opening Day. He will face Pittsburgh right-hander Chad Kuhl (2-1, 4.57 ERA).In his earlier start against the Pirates, Zimmermann gave up four runs and six hits in six innings, with one walk and eight strikeouts.He got his first win Thursday during the Tigers' recent surge, allowing four runs and seven hits -- three of them homers -- with two walks and seven strikeouts, in 5 1/3 innings in a 13-8 win against Baltimore.In five career appearances against Pittsburgh, Zimmermann is 1-3 with a 4.35 ERA. In three career starts at PNC Park, he is 1-2 with a 3.32 ERA.Kuhl will be making his fifth start of the season. He picked up one of the few recent Pirates wins when he allowed one run in six innings in a 10-2 win Wednesday against Colorado."Just to go out there, execute my pitches and have everything working, it just feels great," Kuhl said after what was his longest start and first quality start of the season.Kuhl is 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA in two career starts against Detroit, including a win in the season-opening series, when he gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-6 win.

Pirates-Tigers become 28th postponement in majors this year5m agoĽ 1 min read PITTSBURGH Steady rain forced the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers to postpone the opener of their three-game interleague series on Tuesday.The game was the 28th postponement in the majors this season, the most related to weather through April since the commissioner's office started keeping those records in 1986. Baltimore and Tampa Bay were also rained out on Tuesday.Detroit and Pittsburgh will make up the game with a straight doubleheader on Wednesday starting at 4:05 p.m.This is the second time the teams will play a doubleheader this season and the third time they've had to reschedule due to weather. Wintry conditions pushed back opening day at Comerica Park on March 29 and their game on March 31 was also postponed. Pittsburgh swept a doubleheader from the Tigers on April 1.Pittsburgh will send out Chad Kuhl (2-1, 4.57 ERA) in Game 1 against Detroit's Jordan Zimmerman (1-0, 7.71). Jameson Taillon (2-1, 2.86) will face Matthew Boyd (0-1, 1.40) in Game 2.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Red Sox look to start another win streak vs. Blue Jays 3h agoĽ 3 min read TORONTO -- The Boston Red Sox have had a sensational start to the season and the Toronto Blue Jays, slow starters in recent seasons, have had a better than expected beginning.When the two American League East leaders open a three-game series Tuesday night at the Rogers Centre, however, both teams will be coming off their first series losses of the season after dropping their past two games.The Red Sox (17-4) lost twice in a row to the Athletics in Oakland, including a no-hitter on Saturday, and a 4-1 decision Sunday. They had been averaging 6.5 runs in their first 19 games."You never want long losing streaks," Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland said. "This team is capable of anything. We had two games where we had good pitching against us. That's going to happen."But we have a great offense and great pitching. This is a very good team, so I think we're going to be able to limit that long-term damage where you lose a lot of games." Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, "We think we have a great offensive club, but this is going to happen. We're not going to score seven, eight runs a night." The Blue Jays (13-8) lost the final two games of a four-game series against the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday in New York to go 1-3 in the set.The Blue Jays lost 5-1 Sunday, held to three hits in seven innings by Yankees starter Luis Severino."We did have some opportunities, not so much (Sunday), but the first three games," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said."You know, we've been (playing) really well, really well lately," said Toronto left-hander Jaime Garcia, who took the loss Sunday. "The guys are swinging really amazing, the bullpen has been unbelievable and we as starting pitchers, we feel like we're going to take off."We believe in ourselves. We just got stay focused on the process, continue to compete, continue to give us a chance to win and in the long term, things will go that way." Right-hander Rick Porcello (4-0, 1.40 ERA) will start Tuesday for Boston. Left-hander J. A. Happ (3-1, 4.50 ERA) will go for Toronto.Porcello has pitched a total of 13 innings without giving up a run in his past two starts and has won all four of his outings this season.In 21 career outings (20 starts) against the Blue Jays, he is 9-9 with a 4.98 ERA. He has two or fewer earned runs in each of his past three starts at the Rogers Centre. In 11 career games (10 starts) at Rogers Centre, he is 4-6 with a 4.99 ERA.Happ is 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA in 17 career outings (16 starts) against the Red Sox.The Blue Jays were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position Sunday in New York with their only run coming on a home run by Teoscar Hernandez.Seven of the outfielder's 12 hits this season have gone for extra bases (three doubles, one triple and three home runs).The Blue Jays reached 13 wins this season in 19 games after needing 34 games to win their 13th last season. They need one more win to guarantee that they will finish at .500 or better for March-April.During the previous five seasons, Toronto had the worst March-April record in the majors, going 52-75 (.409).In winning 17 of their first 20 games entering Sunday, the Red Sox matched the franchise's best start through 20 games. The 1946 Red Sox also won 17 of their first 20 on the way to a 21-3 start. The Red Sox were the first team to win 17 of their first 20 games since the 2003 Yankees (17-3) and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers (18-2).The Red Sox believe that they're equipped to avoid long losing streaks."With our pitching staff, that's the case," Cora said. "Offensively, we feel capable of scoring runs every night. We're capable of scoring a lot. We're not going to score seven or eight every night, but this offense is going to be fine. We're going to hit. We still have had a good road trip, 4-2. We need to go to Toronto and win the series."

Granderson's homer in 10th gives Blue Jays win over Red Sox4m agoĽ 3 min read TORONTO Curtis Granderson hit a walk-off homer in the 10th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 win over Boston on Tuesday night and hand the Red Sox their season-worst third straight defeat.Boston (17-5) still owns the best record in the majors.Granderon's his third home run of the season came off Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel (0-1), a towering solo blast off the facing of the third deck in right field. He went 3 for 5 with three RBIs.Tyler Clippard (3-0) worked a scoreless 10th for the win.Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was handed a 3-1 lead in the ninth but allowed the Red Sox to tie it, his first blown save in seven chances.Hanley Ramirez singled to begin the ninth, went to third on a one-out hit by Rafael Devers and scored on Eduardo Nunez's single to right. It was the first run off Osuna this season.Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out and Nunez stole second before Christian Vazquez walked to load the bases for Brock Holt, who scored Devers with an RBI single to left. Left fielder Granderson threw out Nunez at the plate to prevent Boston from taking the lead.Blue Jays left-hander J. A. Happ struck out a season-high 10 over seven innings. Happ walked none and allowed four hits and one run in his longest outing of the season.Boston's Rick Porcello allowed three runs and three hits in seven innings. Porcello walked three, two more than he'd walked in his previous four starts combined, and struck out a season-high nine, including five straight in the third and fourth.Porcello extended his scoreless innings streak to 14 by pitching around a one-out walk in the first but couldn't escape the second. The Blue Jays put runners at the corners with none out before Kevin Pillar opened the scoring with a fielder's choice grounder, with Steve Pearce coming home ahead of the throw by third baseman Devers.Three batters later, Granderson hit a two-run single that bounced off Devers' glove and rolled into shallow left field.Red Sox designated hitter J. D. Martinez went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and is 0 for 11 with eight strikeouts over his past three games.TRAINER'S ROOMRed Sox: SS Xander Bogaerts (left ankle) went 2 for 3 with an RBI in a six-inning stint with Triple-A Pawtucket, and remains on track to rejoin the Red Sox on Friday.Blue Jays: 3B Josh Donaldson (right shoulder) could begin a minor league rehab assignment later this week, manager John Gibbons said. Donaldson has been working out at Toronto's minor league facility in Dunedin, Florida.SOMBER TRIBUTEBefore the game, the Blue Jays honored the victims of Monday's deadly van attack in Toronto and the first responders who rushed to the scene. Players from both teams stood in front of the dugouts as four Toronto police officers and two paramedics stood between second base and the pitcher's mound and were introduced to cheering fans. Following a video message and a moment of silence, a group of high school students sang the national anthems.Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada greeted the first responders as they left the fieldA blue banner reading ''(hash)TORONTOSTRONG'' was hung from the second deck in center field, and similar signs were hung on the wall behind home plate. The same message was also printed in white on the back of the mound.UP NEXTRed Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.45) is 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA in eight career games against Toronto.Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (1-2, 3.86) will face his fourth AL East opponent in five starts when he takes the mound Wednesday. Sanchez has faced New York twice and Baltimore once.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A's hope to keep momentum going against Rangers 2h agoĽ 2 min read The Achilles' heel for the Texas Rangers through the first month of the 2018 season has been relief pitching.That situation reared its ugly head again Monday when two relievers allowed six runs in the ninth inning to all but hand the Oakland Athletics a 9-4 victory in the opening game of a three-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.Texas will try to get some much-needed innings from its starting pitching as ace left-hander Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.76 ERA) opposes Athletics right-hander Andrew Triggs (1-0, 5.82) in the second game of the series on Tuesday.The Rangers are 0-8 in series-opening games this season, have won back-to-back games just once and are just 3-11 at home.Oakland broke open a tie game with a huge final inning at the plate, scoring four runs against Kevin Jepsen and two against Jesse Chavez, the Rangers' fifth and sixth pitchers."We need some length and some multiple innings from some guys," Texas manager Jeff Banister said after Monday's loss. "The past four days everybody in the bullpen has thrown quite a bit and we haven't created a lot of scoring opportunities for ourselves. All that kind of caught up with us tonight." The Texas bullpen ranks 13th of 15 teams in the American League in ERA.The Athletics piled up the extra-base hits in the ninth inning on Monday, getting a home run from Marcus Semien (on the first pitch of the inning), and RBI triples by Matt Chapman and Jake Smolinski in the final inning."Team morale is through the roof right now," A's right-hander Daniel Mengden said. "We're playing well, we're hitting well, we're playing good defense, we're throwing well." The win for Oakland was its third in a row and seventh in the past eight games. It is now above .500 at 12-11 for the season."We've just got to ride the wave out as long as we can and get timely hits," said Oakland designated hitter Khris Davis, who had a double and two RBIs early in the game. "The pitching has been fantastic so we want to be putting up runs. Couldn't ask for anything more." Triggs is scheduled to make his fifth start of the season. He allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings in his last start after allowing five runs in 15 2/3 innings (2.87 ERA) in his first three starts.Triggs is 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA in four career appearances, including three starts, against Texas. That line includes a no-decision in his only start against the Rangers this year, a 3-1 A's win on April 2 in Oakland.Hamels will get his sixth start of the season and will be working on extended five days' rest after taking the loss in a 4-2 Texas setback on April 18 in Tampa Bay. Hamels has never finished April with four losses in his 13 professional seasons (1-3 in 2013 and 3-3 in 2008).Hamels is 3-3 with a 4.11 ERA (21 ER/46.0 IP) in eight career starts against the Athletics. He snapped a two-game losing streak against the A's in a 4-1 Texas victory on April 3 in Oakland.

Lowrie, A's beat Rangers 3-2 as Beltre leaves with injury4m agoĽ 2 min read ARLINGTON, Texas Jed Lowrie hit a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning and the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Tuesday night, tagging Cole Hamels with his fourth loss before the end of April for the first time in the left-hander's career.Texas slugger Adrian Beltre exited with a left hamstring strain in the eighth after pulling up at first base on what would have been a double but was instead a single for his 3,075th career hit.Lowrie's liner over the glove of diving center fielder Delino DeShields came against reliever Matt Bush after two doubles off Hamels in an inning that included a pair of Oakland baserunners getting thrown out at third base.Andrew Triggs (2-0) allowed one run in six innings with six strikeouts, and former closer Santiago Casilla pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.Oakland rookie Lou Trivino struck out two batters to finish the eighth after coming in cold when Blake Treinen took a line drive from Shin-Soo Choo off his right leg and had to leave the game.Trivino was called up from Triple-A Nashville earlier in the day when Yusmeiro Petit went on the bereavement list following the death of his mother in Venezuela. Petit was away from the team for four days earlier this month to spend time with his mom.Hamels (1-4) gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings and plunked three batters, matching the 2008 World Series MVP's career high set on April 20, 2016, in a 2-1 win against Houston. Rangers reliever Jake Diekman also hit a batter with a pitch.The Rangers clinched their fifth straight series loss at home, the most to start a season since the franchise moved to Texas in 1972.Mark Canha broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with his third homer, a solo shot that went in and out of leaping right fielder Nomar Mazara's glove just above the fence. Matt Olson hit an RBI double in the eighth.Beltre's liner to the gap when he was injured was a single that scored Choo from first. The 39-year-old in his 21st season limped to first and went immediately to the dugout. Beltre had two hits and both Texas RBIs, driving in the first run on a sacrifice fly.TRAINER'S ROOMAthletics: RHP Liam Hendriks was to have a procedure to remove a cyst in his right hip, with a plasma injection for a muscle tear. Hendriks was already on the disabled list because of a right groin strain. He should be throwing off a mound in a few weeks.Rangers: RHPs Tony Barnette (right shoulder inflammation) and Tim Lincecum (blister) threw live bullpen sessions. Manager Jeff Banister said Barnette probably won't return before Friday. Lincecum is on the 60-day DL.UP NEXTRHP Kendall Graveman (0-4, 10.07 ERA), Oakland's opening day starter, has allowed at least four runs without throwing more than five innings in all five starts, the longest such streak to start a season for an A's pitcher since at least 1908. RHP Doug Fister (1-2, 3.59) is scheduled for Texas in the series finale as he returns from a right hip strain. His most recent start was April 9.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Ohtani gets 4th start as Angels take on Astros 1h agoĽ 3 min read HOUSTON -- Instead of prolonging the anxiety that often accompanies that first call-up to the majors, the Los Angeles Angels wasted no time giving right-hander Justin Anderson his big-league debut.Anderson, a native Houstonian, worked a scoreless eighth inning in the Angels' 2-0 win on Monday, pitching around a pair of hits while also recording a strikeout. Anderson attended St. Pius X High School and Texas-San Antonio before the Angels selected him in 2014. With more than four dozen family members and friends in attendance, he skillfully showcased his wares."Justin has made the switch from a starting pitcher with us to the bullpen in the minor leagues and hopefully is starting to get comfortable with it," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "His stuff is real, he's harnessed it; he's got a terrific arm. As long as he can harness it you have to be excited about his upside and what he can do." Another Angels rookie, right-hander Shohei Ohtani (2-1, 3.60 ERA), will make his fourth start of the season and the first of his career against the Astros on Tuesday. It will mark his third start against an American League West opponent, with Ohtani opening his career with consecutive outings against the Athletics including one on April 8 where he allowed one hit and one walk white striking out 12 batters over seven scoreless innings. Ohtani departed his last start against Boston on April 17 with blister problems, working only two innings in the Angels' 10-1 loss.Right-hander Charlie Morton (3-0, 0.72 ERA) earns the starting nod for the Astros. Morton, who leads the AL in ERA, is 3-0 with a 3.14 ERA over five career starts against the Angels. He faced them three times last season, twice at Minute Maid Park, tossing five shutout innings in a 3-0 victory on April 17 before surrendering one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over seven innings in a 6-2 win on Sept. 23. In his lone appearance in Anaheim, he allowed three runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over five innings in a 7-5 win.While Morton has been sensational thus far, Ohtani will be the attraction in the middle game of the series. The Astros are unlikely to get a look at his bat, but the two-way Japanese import offers equal intrigue with his arm from the mound."I'm certainly interested to see him; we've got to find a way to beat him," Astros manager A. J. Hinch said of Ohtani. "He's been very good early on. I know he had one little bad start but I think everyone is a little intrigued."Similar to any player that comes into the league, he has fanfare and international notoriety, there's intrigue to check him out and see what he's got against our guys." The Astros (16-8) got their first look at the Angels' revamped roster on Monday as their six-game winning streak came to an end. The Angels (15-8) bolstered their lineup with the offseason additions of veteran infielders Ian Kinsler and Zack Cozart plus Ohtani to compete with the World Series champions who have designs on dominating the division they both share."They're a really good team in every facet of the game," Hinch said. "They obviously had a great core to begin with and then they added some really exceptional players when you look at last season they added (left fielder Justin) Upton and this offseason they added Cozart and Ohtani. They just look like a team where they're building where they have very few weaknesses."

Trout hits 10th HR, Ohtani shaky, Angels beat Astros 8-77m agoĽ 2 min read HOUSTON Mike Trout hit his major league-leading 10th homer and the Los Angeles Angels overcame another shaky start by Shohei Ohtani to beat the Houston Astros 8-7 Tuesday night, tying a team record with their 11th straight road win.Andrelton Simmons homered twice with a career-high five RBIs, connecting for a tiebreaking, three-run drive in the seventh inning. The Angels also won 11 in a row outside Anaheim in 1988.Ohtani yielded four runs on six hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings. The two-way star from Japan was tagged by Boston in his previous start and left after two innings because of a blister problem.Ohtani struck out seven and has fanned 26 this year, a record for an Angels pitcher after the first four career games of his career.The Angels jumped on Charlie Morton early to build a 4-1 lead. Derek Fisher hit a two-run homer for Houston in the fifth off Ohtani and Brian McCann added a two-run homer off Jose Alvarez in the sixth to put the Astros ahead.There were runners at first and second with two outs in the seventh when Albert Pujols snapped an 0-for-7 slide with an RBI single to tie it at 5. Simmons then sent a pitch from Joe Smith (1-1) to the train tracks atop left field for fourth career multihomer game.Alex Bregman hit an RBI single off Jim Johnson (2-0) in the seventh and Marwin Gonzalez added a run-scoring single off Justin Anderson to cut the lead to 8-7 with one out in the inning. But Anderson retired the next two batters to wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam and preserve the lead.Cam Bedrosian walked one in a scoreless ninth for his first save.Morton, who entered the game leading the American League with a 0.72 ERA, allowed five hits and a season-high four runs, while walking a season-most five in four-plus innings.Bregman doubled with two outs in the second and Houston cut the lead to 2-1 when he scored on a single by Gonzalez.Morton, who had only walked six batters in his first four starts combined, loaded the bases on three straight walks to start the third inning. Justin Upton followed with an RBI single on a high chopper to push the lead to 3-1.Simmons singled with one out on a grounder to third base to send another run home and leave Los Angeles up 4-1.TRAINER'S ROOMAngels: Simmons returned after sitting out on Monday after being hit with a pitch on the forearm in Sunday's game.UP NEXTAngels: Nick Tropeano (1-1, 3.75 ERA) will start in the series finale on Wednesday, looking to bounce back after allowing seven hits and five runs in 5 1/3 innings of a loss to Boston in his last outing.Astros: Justin Verlander (3-0, 1.10) looks to extend his regular-season winning streak to 11 games when he starts on Wednesday. Verlander allowed two hits in six scoreless innings of a win over the White Sox in his last outing.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Things get tougher for Cards, who are set to host Mets 3h agoĽ 2 min read The MLB welcome wagon, aka the Cincinnati Reds, has left town.Now the St. Louis Cardinals have to validate their recent streak of wins against MLB's worst team by continuing to win games against better ones, like the New York Mets, who arrive Tuesday night at Busch Stadium to start a three-game series.By beating Cincinnati seven straight times to highlight a stretch of eight wins in nine games, St. Louis (13-8) jumped into first place in the National League Central by 10 percentage points over Milwaukee. Nine of the Cardinals' next 11 games are against teams sporting winning records.That includes New York (14-6), which comes into town with a half-game edge over Philadelphia in the NL East. While the Mets have hit their first rough patch under first-year manager Mickey Callaway with four losses in six games, they have still been a pleasant surprise in the early going.New York started its season by taking two of three from St. Louis, overpowering the Cardinals with Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom in the first two games before Luke Weaver worked a 5-1 win in the series finale.Weaver (2-1, 4.22 ERA) experienced his first poor start of the year on Thursday, getting lit up for nine hits and six runs in four innings of an 8-5 loss at the Chicago Cubs. Otherwise, Weaver has been sharp, getting ahead with his fastball and finishing hitters with his plus changeup.Weaver was scheduled to start Wednesday night, but St. Louis manager Mike Matheny opted to move him up a day and use him on normal rest when Adam Wainwright hit the 10-day disabled list Sunday with right elbow inflammation. The club won't need a fifth starter again until Saturday night in Pittsburgh.The Mets' pitching plans were also affected by the events of Sunday, although weather was the protagonist in their case. A rainout in Atlanta led Callaway to move Zack Wheeler (1-1, 2.77) back to Tuesday night."Wheeler's throwing the ball really well," Callaway told mlb.com. "I think he deserves to stay in the rotation at this point. That's fairly obvious to me. That's why we made the decision we did." The decision of which Callaway spoke was to send former NL All-Star starter Matt Harvey to the bullpen, a choice that didn't sit well with Harvey. But it's not like Harvey (0-2, 6.00) has pitched well in four starts, and with Jason Vargas scheduled to come off the DL to start Saturday in San Diego, Harvey became the odd man out of a rotation that has pulled its weight so far.Wheeler has lost both career starts against the Cardinals with a 4.76 ERA, including a 4-1 setback last year on July 8 when Paul DeJong touched him for a homer and a double.The streaky DeJong, who has already fanned 31 times in 77 at-bats, is doing plenty of damage when he hits the ball. His seventh homer, a three-run shot on Sunday, turned a 3-2 game into a 6-2 breather in the seventh inning as St. Louis went on to hammer the hapless Reds 9-2.

Bruce's HR in 10th sends Mets to 6-5 win over Cardinals5m agoĽ 2 min read ST. LOUIS Jay Bruce hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th inning, Yoenis Cespedes launched a majestic, three-run shot and the New York Mets rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Tuesday night.Bruce began the game batting .194 but broke out of his slump with three hits, including an RBI triple.After his decisive drive to center field off Matt Bowman (0-1), the Cardinals claimed he missed first base and challenged. A 56-second replay review confirmed Bruce touched the bag, and the NL East-leading Mets (15-6) closed it out for their 10th comeback victory of the season.''It feels good to help the ballclub a little bit,'' Bruce said.Cespedes' homer off starter Luke Weaver tied it 4-all in the fifth. The drive traveled an estimated 463 feet to left field, the third-longest by an opposing player in the history of Busch Stadium III.Bruce's eighth-inning single sent Todd Frazier from first to third before Adrian Gonzalez tied it at 5 with a sacrifice fly.Mets starter Zack Wheeler lasted a season-low four innings and gave up four runs. Former ace Matt Harvey gave up a run over two innings in his first relief appearance since being demoted to the bullpen.Back-to-back doubles by Dexter Fowler and Paul DeJong off Harvey with two outs in the fifth gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead.Robert Gsellman (3-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win, and Jeurys Familia earned his ninth save.Bruce's sinking line drive got by left fielder Marcell Ozuna in the second for an RBI triple. It was Bruce's first triple in 174 games with the Mets.Weaver lasted 4 2/3 innings. He gave up four runs and walked a career-high six as St. Louis had its three-game winning streak snapped.Tommy Pham drove Wheeler's 95 mph fastball 420 feet to center for a home run that gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the first inning.Kolten Wong doubled in a run and scored on Weaver's single in the fourth to make it 4-1. Weaver's single was the first time the Mets allowed an opposing pitcher to reach safely in 42 plate appearances this season.WEB GEMWong made a diving play at second on Gonzalez's grounder and threw him out from his knees for the first out in the second. Wong was playing in with Bruce at third. The play saved a run and Weaver was able to strand Bruce at third.TRAINER'S ROOMMets: LHP Jason Vargas (broken right hand) started Monday for Triple-A Las Vegas and allowed three runs over four innings. He is scheduled to make his season debut Saturday in San Diego.Cardinals: RHP Sam Tuivailala and LHP Ryan Sherriff have reported to Triple-A Memphis for rehab assignments. Tuivailala is scheduled to throw Wednesday and Sherriff will throw later this week.UP NEXTMets LHP Steven Matz (1-1, 4.42 ERA) seeks his first win against St. Louis in the middle game of the series Wednesday night. Matz is 0-2 with an 8.64 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals. They counter with RHP Michael Wacha (3-1, 4.22), who has won his last three starts.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Cain returns with Brewers to face Royals 3h agoĽ 2 min read KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Lorenzo Cain, one of the Kansas City Royals' stars from the 2014-15 World Series clubs, will be back at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night, but not wearing Royal blue.He will be patrolling center field for the Milwaukee Brewers, who signed him to a five-year, $80 million contract on Jan. 26. The Royals and Brewers open a two-game mini-interleague series.Cain broke into the majors with the Brewers, but the Royals acquired him in the blockbuster Zack Greinke trade after the 2010 season.Cain, who hit .300 in his final Royals season, is doing well with the Brewers. He is batting .303 with 13 walks for a .400 on-base percentage. He had a .461 slugging percentage, which includes six doubles and two home runs in 76 at-bats spanning 22 games. He has batted leadoff in 16 games and leads the team with five stolen bases in six attempts and has scored 14 runs.And while the Royals are struggling, ending a nine-game losing streak on Friday and winning only five of their first 20 games, the Brewers are hot. They beat the Miami Marlins on Sunday to conclude a homestand and extend their winning streak to six games. The last time they won six in a row was Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, 2015.This is the opener of a nine-game, three-city trip for the Brewers. The Royals will play their next seven and 11 of their next 14 at home.The Royals used an Abraham Almonte grand slam and a Mike Moustakas three-run shot to win Sunday at Detroit.Both the Royals and Brewers were off Monday.The Royals could be getting some reinforcements soon. All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, who went on the disabled list just before the March 29 opener with a knee injury suffered carrying a suitcase up some stairs at his home, and Alex Gordon, who has missed 12 games with a left hip labral tear, have been rehabbing with Triple-A Omaha."They're close," Royals manager Ned Yost said of coming back.Don't be surprised if the Royals activate Perez on Tuesday. He has played seven games in the minors on a rehab assignment with Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas."It could be any day, and it could very well be the next series," Yost said. "But we just got to wait and see how things go." The Royals have left-handed power in Moustakas, who has a 14-game hitting streak, and Lucas Duda, but they have missed Perez's right-handed bat in the middle of the order.Perez had a two-run double Sunday and scored on a Gordon double in the Storm Chasers' victory over Nashville.Right-hander Ian Kennedy will start Tuesday for the Royals. He is 3-4 with a .366 ERA in 10 starts against Milwaukee. He is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in seven interleague starts.Kennedy has lost his last two starts. In a 15-5 loss at Toronto, Kennedy gave up six runs (two unearned) and eight hits, including two home runs, and three walks in five innings while striking out six. He is 1-2 with a 2.35 ERA for the season.The Brewers will counter with right-hander Zach Davies, who will be making his fifth start. He is 1-2 with a 4.84 ERA. He pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in beating the Cincinnati Reds in his last start on Wednesday, giving up three hits, walking two (one intentionally) and hitting a batter.Davies has never faced the Royals. Kansas City outfielder Jon Jay has a .357 average against Davies in 14 at-bats when he was in the National League.

Cain homers in return to KC as Brewers beat Royals 5-27m agoĽ 3 min read KANSAS CITY, Mo. Lorenzo Cain homered while reaching base four times in his return to Kauffman Stadium, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Tuesday night to open their two-game set.Travis Shaw added a three-run homer for the Brewers, while Zach Davies (2-2) pitched six innings of four-hit ball. Ryan Braun had two hits, walked twice and drove in a run.Matt Albers, Dan Jennings and Jeremy Jeffress combined for three scoreless innings of relief.Salvador Perez homered for Kansas City in his return from the disabled list, and Alex Gordon doubled and scored in his return from the DL, giving the slumping Royals their only offense.Ian Kennedy (1-3) left after allowing four runs over three shaky innings. He took a liner off his ankle in the third but finished the inning before leaving the game.Cain walked and scored in the third and fifth before going deep off Burch Smith in the seventh. He also made a couple of nifty grabs in center field, that familiar patch of turf he presided over for seven seasons, and where he helped the Royals to two American League pennants and a World Series title.Cain parlayed that success into an $80 million, five-year contract in free agency, returning to the club that drafted him in 2004 and eventually traded him to Kansas City in a deal for Zack Greinke.He was certainly remembered fondly by the Royals faithful.Cain got his first standing ovation when he sprinted onto the field for warmups, then got another one when he stepped to bat in the first inning. And when he lined his third homer of the year to right to lead off the seventh, the crowd gave him another round of applause.Kennedy allowed six hits and a walk. He also failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 273 appearances, the second-longest active streak in the majors.He had precautionary X-rays taken on his right foot that came back negative.MO' LOCain said he felt some butterflies driving up to the stadium, but they evaporated when he walked into the home clubhouse. He wound up spending almost two hours talking to his former teammates. ''Just a lot of hugs. A lot of sharing stories,'' Cain said. ''A lot of good times.'' TRAINER'S ROOMBrewers: SS Orlando Arcia got the day off because of stomach pain, though his ailing ankle was fine. ... LHP Boone Logan (left triceps strain) threw a simulated game without problems and will join Double-A Biloxi on a rehab assignment. ... C Stephen Vogt (right shoulder strain) is headed to Arizona for at-bats in extended spring training. He could join a minor league club next week.Royals: RHP Justin Grimm went on the DL with back tightness. It was part of a series of moves that included the activation of Perez (left knee strain) and Gordon (torn left hip labrum).ROSTER MOVESBrewers: C Manny Pina (right calf strain) was activated from the DL and C Jacob Nottingham was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs.Royals: C Cam Gallagher and OF Paulo Orlando were optioned to Triple-A Omaha, while LHP Eric Stout was recalled from the same club to provide some bullpen help.UP NEXTBrewers RHP Jhoulys Chacin moves up in the rotation to face Kansas City on Wednesday night, while RHP Chase Anderson will pitch Thursday against the Cubs. The Royals counter with RHP Jason Hammel.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Lefty Lauer to make debut for Padres at Rockies 8h agoĽ 3 min read DENVER -- In dire need of a win at Coors Field, the Colorado Rockies hope starter Kyle Freeland on Tuesday can find a mound groove, heretofore elusive this season.Eric Lauer will make his major league debut for the San Diego Padres in a matchup of left-handers and former first-round picks. Freeland, a Denver native who turns 25 next month, was the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft out of the University of Evansville. Laurer, 22, was the 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Kent State.The Padres pummeled the Rockies 13-5 on Monday night, erupting for nine runs in the seventh when they sent 15 batters to the plate. Those 15 plate appearances tied the Rockies franchise record for the most plate appearances in an inning by an opponent.The loss was the fourth in five games for the Rockies (12-12), whose home record dropped to 3-7. The Rockies must win the final two games of the series to avoid losing four consecutive home series to start the season.The Rockies are 1-3 in starts by Freeland, who is 0-3 with a 5.85 ERA and has issued nine walks in 20 innings. He has lasted six innings once this season. Freeland's first start this year was April 3 at San Diego, where he took the loss as he gave up five hits, including two solo homers, and four runs in 5 1/3 innings as the Rockies fell 8-4. He's 0-2, 5.79 in five games (three starts) against the Padres.Freeland needs to be more efficient and improve the curveball he began throwing this year to give him more speed variance in his arsenal. He has thrown 373 pitches in 20 innings -- an average of 18.6 per inning -- and 60 percent of those pitches have been strikes.Rockies manager Bud Black said ideally two-thirds of the pitches and Freeland's lack of speed variance has contributed to a high number of foul balls that have elevated Freeland's pitch count."He's got to continue to improve on the variance in his velocity from at the high end 93 miles an hour," Black said, "and at the low end, he's throwing this curveball now 78, 79, 80, which is great. But he's got to continue to improve that pitch, because that's the pitch that can create some separation in velocity. As opposed to 93 fastball, 87, 88, 89 cutter-slider and a changeup 86-87. They're all sort of six miles apart, his three best pitches. Everything's hard." Lauer began the season at Triple-A El Paso, where he went 2-1, 3.00 in three starts and in 18 innings allowed 11 hits and six walks with 19 strikeouts."He's got deception and life to his fastball," Padres manager Andy Green said. "There's deception there; just the way arm works causes people not to see it well in most instances. And when he's been successful, that's what you're seeing. You're seeing late reads on the fastball, regardless of the fact that it's not 95 miles an hour."He's a low-heartbeat guy that doesn't scare easily that you expect has the right temperament to bring into Coors Field against a very good offense and pitch well. He's a guy that can pitch to hitters' weaknesses and do it well." In their 10 home games, the Rockies have scored 42 runs and are hitting .245 (81-for-330) with 91 strikeouts. Regardless, Lauer will be on the mound at Coors Field, which can be a harsh pitching environment."It's not the type of repertoire that you expect to be impacted much by it," Green said. "He's not going to be heavily reliant on getting sink on his fastball." He's relying on his location and his command. In that regard, he's probably a little bit more like (Rockies left-hander) Tyler Anderson, who's pitched very well here." Indeed, Anderson held the visiting Chicago Cubs to two runs in six innings Saturday and was the winning pitcher in Colorado's 5-2 victory. In 22 games (21 starts) at Coors Field, Anderson is 9-5, 3.36.

Story's power, Freeland's arm help Rockies beat Padres 8-07m agoĽ 2 min read DENVER Trevor Story hit the second grand slam of his career, Kyle Freeland scattered three hits over seven sharp innings and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 8-0 on a cold Tuesday night.Colorado outfielder Noel Cuevas notched his first major league hit - a single down the line that looked like a sure double before he slipped on the first base bag. That's about the only stumble for the Rockies in a game delayed 46 minutes by rain on a 37-degree evening. In an effort to stay warm, Nolan Arenado and Manuel Margot resorted to wearing a ski mask in the field.Freeland (1-3) turned up the heat as the lefty struck out a season-high eight to earn his first win since July 30. He tied for the major league lead in victories (11) among rookies last season.There was a moment of concern when Freeland took a liner off his left heel in the fourth. He took a few warmup pitches and remained in the game.San Diego lefty Eric Lauer (0-1) had a rough outing in his major league debut. He allowed seven runs, six earned, over three innings. He picked up his first big league hit on a bloop single.Lauer became just the second pitcher from the 2016 draft class to make his major league debut. The other was teammate Joey Lucchesi, who made his first start on March 30, 2017.In addition, Lauer was the 27th pitcher to make his inaugural big league start at Coors Field, including seventh as an opponent and second for the Padres (Anthony Bass on June 13, 2011).The 22-year-old Lauer made a mistake in the second with a fastball that Story took deep to left to give the Rockies a 7-0 lead. Story's other grand slam was April 21, 2017, against San Francisco.TRAINER'S ROOMPadres: 3B Christian Villanueva (hamstring tightness) was given the night off due to the cold conditions. ''It just wasn't in his best interest or our best interest to push him,'' manager Andy Green said.TOUCHDOWN!The Rockies scored a touchdown's equivalent in runs over the first two innings. Fitting since linebacker Von Miller, quarterback Case Keenum and a few other Broncos were on hand for the game.FAMILY LEAVEFirst baseman Eric Hosmer was placed on family medical leave. The team hopes to have him back in the lineup Friday.''He had some things he needed to go home and take care of,'' Green explained. ''Respecting his privacy and his family's wishes, we'll just kind of leave it at that right now.'' NAME GAMERockies right-hander Brooks Pounders had the most memorable name in the minor leagues in 2014. No disputing it, either - he won the ''Moniker Madness '' bracket challenge that crowns the best name.''It's pretty cool,'' Pounders said.Pounders pitched the ninth in his Rockies debut. His contract was selected from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.UP NEXTThe Padres will throw RHP Tyson Ross (2-1, 2.81 ERA) in the series finale Wednesday. His last time out he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning at Arizona. The Rockies counter with RHP Jon Gray (1-4, 6.75), who's looking to snap a three-game skid.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Marlins look for better outing vs. Dodgers 27m agoĽ 2 min read LOS ANGELES -- A pair of pitchers intent on a rebound will meet head-to-head on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Dodgers play host to the Miami Marlins.Marlins left-hander Dillon Peters will take the mound after not getting out of the fifth inning on Thursday at Milwaukee. He gave up four runs on three hits, but his five walks were the most troubling of all. It was the first of four consecutive defeats for the Marlins against the Brewers.Also looking for a little traction will be Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda, who gave up four runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings at San Diego last week, although he did have 10 strikeouts as the Dodgers offense keyed the victory.In his last two starts, Maeda has given up a combined nine runs, although three of them were unearned. Maeda has also walked four and hit a batter over his last two outings.Not a whole lot has gone right lately for the Marlins, who were outscored 30-10 in the four-game series this past weekend against the Brewers. They delivered a well-played game against the Dodgers in the series opener on Monday, but the same fate met them in a 2-1 defeat.Miami has now lost eight of its last nine games and 11 of 13, while anxiously awaiting the return of injured players like third baseman Martin Prado (knee), infielder JT Riddle (shoulder) and right-hander Dan Straily (forearm). Those players will all participate in minor league rehab games this week."We have some good things happening," Mattingly said before Monday's series opener in Los Angeles. "Some of it is behind the scenes, some of it is subtle, but there are definitely good things happening." The Dodgers appear to be getting on track after their usual slow start under manager Dave Roberts. The club was hovering around .500 at the start of May in each of the last two seasons under Roberts, and at 11-10 after Monday's victory, this season looks no different.The Dodgers are now above .500 for the first time this season, getting there by winning seven of their last eight. There was a sweep of the Padres in that run, as well as a series victory over the Washington Nationals. Before the Dodgers got back on track, they were just 4-9 to open the season.Yasmani Grandal's 11-game hitting streak for the Dodgers came to an end on Monday, but Enrique Hernandez had three hits, including a home run, making a case for more playing time.Jarlin Garcia pitched well for the Marlins on Monday, giving up a run on four hits over six innings, while giving a fellow lefty in Peters a blueprint on how to handle the Dodgers.J. T. Realmuto had two hits Monday for the Marlins and is now 24-for-60 (.400) in his career against the Dodgers, with nine runs, two doubles, two home runs and five RBIs. He has three multi-hit games in just five contests this season.

Marlins edge Dodgers 3-2 on Maybin's RBI in 9th, stop skid4m agoĽ 2 min read LOS ANGELES Cameron Maybin doubled home the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and the Miami Marlins edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Tuesday night, snapping their season-high five-game skid.Brian Anderson singled leading off the inning against Pedro Baez (1-1) and scored on Maybin's double to deep left field. Miami had lost eight of its previous nine and 11 of 13, including a 2-1 decision in the series opener Monday.Drew Steckenrider (1-0) got the win with one inning of relief. Brad Ziegler retired the side in the ninth for his second save.The loss sent the Dodgers back to .500 one game after they had gotten above the mark for the first time this season.Starlin Castro's two-out RBI double off Tony Cingrani tied the game 2-all in the eighth.Pinch-hitter Chase Utley drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run in the seventh, putting the Dodgers back in front 2-1.After getting two outs, Nick Wittgren gave up a walk to pinch-hitter Joc Pederson, a single to Chris Taylor and a walk to Corey Seager that loaded the bases. Utley worked Tayron Guerrero to a 3-2 count before Miami's third free pass of the inning.J. T. Realmuto homered on the first pitch from Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda with two outs in the third to tie the game 1-all.The Dodgers led 1-0 in the second on Austin Barnes' RBI double down the right-field line that eluded diving first baseman Justin Bour and scored Matt Kemp, who had a leadoff double.Marlins starter Dillon Peters allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings, struck out four and walked two.Maeda gave up one run and four hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one.TRAINER'S ROOMMarlins: 3B Martin Prado (left hamstring strain) and SS JT Riddle (right shoulder tendinitis) played in rehab stints at Class A Jupiter and will do so again on Wednesday. ... RHP Elieser Hernandez (tooth infection) and RHP Dan Straily (forearm) each pitched in rehab assignments and will be re-evaluated Wednesday.Dodgers: RHP Yimi Garcia (right elbow surgery) is on a rehab assignment and could possibly return in May. The team is taking a conservative approach so Garcia will be ready to pitch the rest of the season without restrictions.UP NEXTRHP Trevor Richards (0-2, 6.16 ERA) makes his first career start against the Dodgers and LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-3, 2.45) in the series finale. Richards gave up a career-high six runs in his last start at Milwaukee. Kershaw is 5-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 10 starts against the Marlins while averaging 10.13 strikeouts per nine innings.---More baseball: www.apnews.com/tags/MLBbaseball

Nationals' Roark looks to continue success vs. Giants 10m agoĽ 2 min read SAN FRANCISCO -- Washington Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark will put an impressive streak on the line Tuesday when he faces hot-hitting Mac Williamson and the San Francisco Giants on the second night of a three-game series.The Giants won the series opener 4-2 on Monday, getting a two-run homer and three RBIs in all from Williamson, who was promoted from the minors just last week when Hunter Pence was placed on the disabled list.Williamson has wasted no time making an impression on the Giants. His home run Monday off Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez not only was his second in four games, but at 464 feet, was the longest by a Giant this season.In fact, the righty hitter's blast to right-center field was the longest to the opposite field in the majors this season, and the fourth-longest to any field."I just haven't seen many balls hit there, even in batting practice," gushed Giants manager Bruce Bochy of a shot that landed within a few feet of a plaque commemorating Barry Bonds' record-setting 756th home run in 2014."That's impressive," Bochy continued. "Just shows you how strong this guy is. That's an area where few guys can hit a ball." Williamson also drove in a third run with a fielder's choice grounder, giving him five RBIs in his four games.Before last week's call-up, the 27-year-old had 92 games of major league experience, including five at-bats against Roark.As has been the case against most Giants in his career, Roark has dominated the head-to-head, holding Williamson hitless while striking him out three times.Roark (1-1, 3.24) has faced the Giants seven times in his career, including four times as a starter. He's never lost, going 6-0 with a 2.02 ERA.He's the only active pitcher with better than a 4-0 record against the Giants.Roark was last seen in San Francisco contributing seven innings to a 3-0 shutout win for the Nationals last May. He allowed six hits and one walk, striking out six.The 31-year-old has gone 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four games, including three starts, in San Francisco.Attempting to win a second straight game to open a 10-game homestand, the Giants will counter with left-hander Ty Blach, who has pitched in hard luck this season.Blach (1-3, 4.10) has received a total of eight runs of support in his five starts. He's coming off back-to-back losses of 5-1 at San Diego and 3-1 at Arizona.He has never faced the Nationals in his career.Blach will be facing a Washington team that's struggled to score runs without injured regulars Adam Eaton, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon.The Nationals, now 3-4 on a nine-game trip, totaled only eight runs while losing two of three in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, before managing only five hits and two runs against the Giants' Chris Stratton and three relievers on Monday.Giants pitchers have allowed four or fewer runs in seven straight games.

Williamson homers again, Giants top Nationals 4-311m agoĽ 2 min read SAN FRANCISCO Mac Williamson homered for the second straight night, hitting a tiebreaking shot in the sixth inning to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.Brandon Belt hit his fifth home run in six games, Joe Panik added three hits and scored twice, and the Giants won their third straight and fourth in the last five.One night after hitting a 464-foot homer in the series opener, Williamson hit a first-pitch solo shot to center off Tanner Roark with two outs in the sixth inning that bounced off the top of the wall and broke a 3-all tie. It wasn't as far as Monday's clout - this one went 423 feet - but was just as pivotal for the Giants.Williamson's deciding home run came one inning after he stumbled over the bullpen mound in foul territory and crashed into a low wall near the stands while trying to chase down Bryce Harper's foul ball. Williamson stayed down briefly as team trainers rushed out before getting to his feet.Belt hit a two-run shot off Roark (1-2) in the third.Michael Taylor had a three-run homer for Washington, which has lost four straight and 14 of 20 since opening the season 4-0.Reyes Moronta (1-0) retired six batters for his first career win. Sam Dyson pitched one inning and Hunter Strickland worked the ninth for his fifth save.The Giants got a run off Roark in the first but left the bases loaded when Evan Longoria struck out looking to end the inning. Belt homered on a 3-2 pitch from Roark in the second to make it 3-0.Washington tied it on Taylor's three-run homer off starter Ty Blach in the third. Ryan Zimmerman walked and Moises Sierra singled before Taylor's deep drive into the right-field stands.Blach allowed three runs and four hits in five innings.Roark went into the game 6-0 in seven career games against San Francisco but couldn't find a rhythm this time. He allowed four runs on six hits, walked two and hit a batter and threw a pair of wild pitches.TRAINER'S ROOMNationals: Placed RHP Shawn Kelley on the 10-disabled list with ulnar nerve irritation in his right elbow. Infielder/outfielder Matt Reynolds was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse and outfielder Rafael Bautista and infielder Adrian Sanchez were called up.UP NEXTNationals RHP Max Scherzer (4-1, 1.36 ERA) and Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija (1-0, 0.00) take to the mound for the series finale at AT&T Park on Wednesday. Samardzija is making his second start after beginning the season on the disabled list.

** IMPORTANT
NOTE ** All service picks revealed 30
minutes after each game starts for 100% transparency.
Services cannot fabricate, alter, hide, or delete any picks
nor can records or units be tampered with or forged on CapperTek.
Services cannot fabricate, alter, hide, or delete any reviews
on their service profile on CapperTek.

Is your sports
handicapping service website listed in the
directory? You can
click here
to claim your website by selecting your
website domain name and creating your account
password. If your sports handicapping service
website is not already listed in the directory,
please
click here
first to submit a new website to the directory.
Please note, we must verify that you own
the specific website you are trying to claim
before your account is activated and you
are able to log in. Once verified and activated,
you can log into your account and post and
sell your sports picks as well as edit your
service info. You can also respond to any
reviews that may have been submitted for
your sports handicapping service. A valid
PayPal account is required to sell picks
in the directory.

Do you want
to post and sell your picks but do not have
a website? Not a problem! We can setup a
new website for you in the directory absolutely
free! Just
click here
to get started. Once you register your new
website, you can access your account and
post and sell your sports picks as well
as edit your service info. A valid PayPal
account is required to sell picks in the
directory.

Attention,
we need your help! Do you know of any other
sports handicappers or sports handicapping
service websites that are not listed in
the directory? Please click here
today and let us know so we can add them
to the directory. Help us build and maintain
the largest and most trusted Sports Handicapping
Service Directory on the web. Thank you
to all of our current supporters!

Do you
own or operate one of the sports handicapping
service websites listed in the directory
and want to get it verified? Click here
today to get your website verified in three
easy steps to document and sell your sports
picks as well as protect against negative
reviews that can ultimately ruin the reputation
of your service. Best of all it's free!
Learn more.

PLEASE NOTE:
CapperTek is not a gambling or sports betting website and
does not accept or place wagers of any type. CapperTek does
not endorse or encourage illegal gambling or sports betting
of any type. Also note sports betting inherently involves
financial risk. CapperTek assumes no responsibly for the
loss of capital incurred due to the use of information contained
on this website. Past results do not guarantee or imply
future performance. Please bet on sports legally within
your jurisdiction and responsibly within your financial
means.

UNITED STATES
CITIZENS PLEASE NOTE: The content and information contained
on this website or any of the sports handicapping service
websites listed on this website are strictly for news and
entertainment purposes only. Any use of this content or
information in violation of federal, state, or local laws
is strictly prohibited. Activities offered by advertising
links to other sites may be deemed an illegal activity in
certain jurisdictions. Viewers are specifically warned that
they should inquire into the legality of participating in
any games and/or activities offered by such other websites.
The owner of this website assumes no responsibility for
the actions by and makes no representation or endorsement
of any of these games and/or activities offered by the advertiser.
As a condition of viewing this website viewers agree to
hold the owner of this website harmless from any claims
arising from the viewer's participation in any of the games
and/or activities offered by the advertiser.

Every sports
handicapping service website listed on this website is an
individually owned and operated private entity. CapperTek
does not have any direct affiliation with any of the sports
handicapping service websites listed on this website. CapperTek
is also not responsible for the content or accessibility
of any of the sports handicapping service websites listed
on this website. Links to other service websites do not
imply any promotion or endorsement of any of the content
or information found on those websites. If you choose to
follow links to other websites you do so entirely at your
own risk. Any third party photographs, images, videos, audio,
logos, slogans, trademarks, service marks, domain names,
and intellectual property represented on this website are
property of their respective owners.